Colorado’s capital joins the list of cities that continue to be overwhelmed by the influx of migrants, with more than 38,000 asylum seekers arriving in Denver last year.
The Mile High City is struggling to accommodate new immigrants who have flooded the city’s shelters and hospitals, and starting Feb. 5, state officials will set limits on how long immigrants can stay in state-funded rooms. Ta.
The city initially suspended the discharge of immigrant families from shelters on Nov. 17 to support the growing number of new arrivals.
But after seeing a dramatic increase, the city now houses 4,500 immigrants and plans to resume discharging immigrant families.
Jose Salas, deputy director of communications for the City of Denver, told the Post that the city is “extending our existing length of stay policy for families from 37 days to 42 days.”
“The changes will be rolled out over the coming weeks and come as Denver experiences a significant increase in the number of arrivals from the southern border, as well as pressing budget concerns,” Salas said.
A Venezuelan family said: NBC News They have now received a notice from the city that they will be evicted from the hotel where they had been living.
“Just yesterday they started throwing away toys and bicycles in the common area,” said the mother of three girls. “I don’t know where I’m going next.”
Dr. Steven Federico, a pediatrician and director of government and community affairs for Denver Health, said hospitals like his are a “safety net” for the city.
“I think it has been a call that has so far been ignored in terms of who is responsible for the health care of this population,” Federico said. “For the time being, it will put a strain on safety-net hospitals like Denver Health.”
Federico said hospital officials are asking state and federal authorities to help cover $10 million in unpaid medical bills from immigrants.
Emergency room physician Christy Rodriguez told NBC that she is concerned that asylum seekers will not receive the help they need after being discharged from the ER.
“I don’t mind being busy. I can see a lot of patients, and I don’t mind staying late,” Rodriguez said. “But I don’t know if this person is going to get their medication refilled. In fact, I don’t know if this person is going to see a pediatrician and get treatment. It’s the part that touches your heart.”
Denver Public Schools has added 3,000 more students to the system since July, according to Adrian Endres, who oversees multilingual education for the district, and funding was established based on the district’s population in October of the previous year. This is putting a strain on the budget.
Most of the migrants come from Venezuela, and many arrived with little schooling, Endres said.
“There was a lot of need and we got a lot of new kids right away,” Endres said. “We’re getting creative in a lot of spaces. This has led to a lot of other departments getting involved. And it’s been an adventure that we’re glad to be a part of.”
Hospital and school officials have been able to cope with the influx so far, but are concerned the rate of increase is not sustainable. To date, Denver has taken in more than 38,000 immigrants, costing the city a whopping $40 million, Salas said.
The mayor’s office agrees that the city is struggling with population growth, and current projections suggest the city could have to cut up to $180 million from its annual budget to accommodate population growth. He told the Post that there was.
“We know that families need as much time as possible, but we need to once again limit the amount of time families can remain in shelters,” Salas said.
The news comes as Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the Lone Star State is busing more than 102,000 migrants to so-called sanctuary cities, including more than 37,500 to New York City. The announcement came shortly after the group announced that immigrants were included.
The Big Apple and Chicago have received the majority of migrants, but Denver has reportedly admitted more than 16,000 migrants since May 18, according to Abbott’s office.
